


The Care and Feeding of Wyatts

by Missy



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Animal Shelters, Developing Relationship, Flirting, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Kissing, Multi, Pet Care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 16:27:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11832564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy/pseuds/Missy
Summary: When April and Andy run into a spot of trouble trying to keep the Pawnee Animal Shelter running after a staff walkout, Ben finds himself pressed into duty.His developing feelings for both of the Dwyers don't help matters at all.





	The Care and Feeding of Wyatts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sirenofodysseus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirenofodysseus/gifts).



“Ben! We need you!”

Ben’s face scrunched up at Andy’s tone. He’d just got in from the office, and was utterly exhausted from the day he’d had, but since Andy seemed to be panicking he made room for the call. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m at the shelter with April,” he began, “it’s flea and tick day. Y’know someone tried to give me a bath when I came into the room.” He paused. “Weird, huh?”

Ben wanted to tell him that that seemed like a logical course of action but Andy was too nice of a guy to be that mean to. “Sure? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, all of the people working at the shelter walked out to complain about Leslie cutting into their budget, so they’re all on strike and April and I are alone taking care of all of the animals. We’re kind of having fun but we need a lot of help because some of them broke loose when we were letting them into the play yard and they only come back to the paddock if you yell at them. April’s voice is all squeaky from doing it and when I do it they just stare at me with their tongues hanging out.’

“I told you to let me hold them. And you have to go up a note higher when you call them,” April said. Her voice was indeed huskier than usual. “Like this: AN-D…” She coughed and groaned.

“Nobody croaks like you do,” he said.

April continued. “We’re washing the dogs again and I guess we need help catching them. I guess. Sort of,” she grumbled. “We’ve been doing fine without any help. The cats are cool. And Tuffy ate the hairball in two bites.”

“It really was kind of rad,” said Andy, “but what if the shelter people get super mad if they see them?”

“We’ll just give them some anti-hairball stuff.”

“But they lick you when they do that! And when they lick up all of the shampoo they end up burping bubbles! And if they burp bubbles the staff will know everything. They’ll ask the cats questions and put the dogs in jail. They might get in trouble…” He let out a quiet sound of dismay. “Do they have prisons for dogs? Oh my God, that would be so sad…”

“Andy, shut up.” She said it in the sweetest way possible, and Ben couldn’t help but smile. 

“Okay – first of all, Andy, Leslie didn’t cut those funds. That’s just a rumor – and it’s a rumor that was started by Pitkis. Second of all, I guess I could come by, but you know I’m allergic to…”

“There’s no chutney here! And we’ll give you pills!” Andy said. “There’s some heart worm stuff that that tastes like chicken and it unblocked my nose in two seconds.”

“…I…I don’t want to know how you know that…”

There was a note of nervous laughter. “Anyway - we could use some help. Please, Ben?”

Well, what choice did he have? April was responsible enough, but Andy – god love him – was a darling enormous goof. The realization about his feelings hit him at the same moment he said yes. 

As he hung the phone up, Ben shrugged, and decided he’d regret his choices later.

 

 

****

**~~##################################################################################################~~**

 

 

“You didn’t tell me there’s a giant mud puddle in the back of the shelter,” Ben said, stomping his way back in with a very happy and very dirty cocker spaniel, the last of the escaped dogs.

“It’s from when the sinkhole collapsed!” Andy said. “They filled it with leftover burgers from the Weenie Hut fire.”

“Good move, those things are barely edible.” He let the dog go and watched it skitter its way across the floor towards April, who was standing commandingly near the cages, one hand on her hip and a hose in her hand. It was sort of sexy, in a dangerous way. 

Ben paused again to marvel at himself. He had no idea why he was having weird feelings about the Dwyers. Maybe he was just that lonely. Maybe they were cute when they were needy (well, that was an interesting prospect). Maybe he understood neediness so well himself that helping them was a natural extension of soothing his own anxiety.

“Thanks, man!” Andy said. And then he spontaneously kissed Ben on the cheek.

And Ben didn’t even bother to turn away.

 

 

****

**~~##################################################################################################~~**

 

 

April was surprisingly good with the cats. Holding them in her lap, she murmured things that almost sounded soothing to Ben, but might have been some sort of ancient curse. 

She handed up a fluffy white maine coon, and Ben carefully placed it back into its cage. He stood back, marveled at the picture before him, and let out a satisfied sigh. 

“Thanks,” April said, dusting her hand against her thigh and sending little threads of white fur into the air as a result.

“You’re welcome,” said Ben. “I did my breast…best.” He winced and palmed his own face in agony. 

Her nose wrinkled. “Gross. But uh, you’re uh….pretty cool. Thanks,” April said to his bottom lip.

The glow of pride that spread through his body surprised Ben utterly.

 

 

****

**~~##################################################################################################~~**

 

 

He’d just finished feeding the last parrot when Andy marched up to him. “Ben, we’ve decided we want to date you.”

Ben paused, frowned. “That’s…highly interesting. Why didn’t either of you ask me about this first?”

“He is asking you,” April said, appearing out of nowhere behind him in that utterly spooky way of hers. “He just forgot to use a question mark.”

“Uh….huh.” He thought to himself about how well he’d worked with the two of them. And how easy it had been to spend time with them both. Well, why not? They were good friends. Why not let them be a little bit more to him? “How about tonight?” he asked. “I’m starving, and I could stand to have some waffles in my stomach before I get home.

“Okay!” Andy grinned. 

“Fine,” April said, though the corner of her mouth turned up into a smile.

As they moved to leave, two hands - one slim and pale, the other thick –fingered and sweaty – took charge of Ben’s hands and led him out to the safety of the parking lot.

**Author's Note:**

> When you mentioned you didn't mind stories that included "kids of the four-legged kinds", this idea sprang to life. Hope you like it!


End file.
